StanStrong

02/03/2022

Stop excessively tucking your elbows on bench. *** Key word being EXCESSIVE.
Caveat - some people may need to slightly tuck their elbows OR slightly flare them. But I think the excessive elbow tuck is extremely common and realistically leading to more shoulder havoc than good -
UNLESS you have a bench shirt on - hear me out . I have no dog in that fight .
When you tuck your elbows excessively( top pic ) - your externally rotating the shoulder. This is a function of the rotator cuff . Putting excessive stress on these tiny little muscles during a heavy bench is not helping you in any way.
Instead look for where your elbow lines up directly stacked under the wrist or slightly in front of the wrist.
(As in the pictures on the bottoms)
This will put your shoulder in a much better position to press from and produce force.
Depending on your optimal and favored grip width and personal strengthens and weaknesses you may be slightly more flared or tucked. It’s all really relative to you.
No position is inherently wrong - but not every movement is optimal for YOU.

01/29/2022

Fix your Squat UnRack .
How you UnRack will dictate the rest of the lift .
So it pays to work on making it efficient as possible.
Imagine a vertical line was dropped down the bar. That line should cut your mid foot in half. This way your balanced across the foot upon un-racking the bar.
If your feet are too far behind the bar- you’ll be forced to bend out the rack, probably on your toes . If your feet are too far forward you may just fall backwards (which I have seen multiple times- believe it or not ).
A simply que to think about is “stand tall “ through the bar .
Avoid bending out the rack - like a mini good-morning .
Again you CAN bend out the rack- but it’s probably not as efficient , and it’s probably not setting you up for your best start position out of the rack.
Hope this helps some people ! I’m gonna keep naming these basic technique videos with just the bar highlighting common mistakes that are simple to fix .

01/18/2022

A better way to get more out your 90/90.
A SUPER common issue with the 90/90 hip drill is allowing your lower back to round excessively. Is this dangerous ? Probably not inherently but it’s also not the position you want to train before you load your spine with lots of weights.
Enter a ball. Just hold it and move a lot slower and you will most likely find your spine is able to maintain a much more relative neutral position as you mobilize your hips .

01/18/2022

A SUPER common issue with the 90/90 hip drill is allowing your lower back to round excessively. Is this dangerous ? Probably not inherently but it’s also not the position you want to train before you load your spine with lots of weights.
Enter a ball. Just hold it and move a lot slower and you will most likely find your spine is able to maintain a much more relative neutral position as you mobilize your hips . It just acts a counter balance you can push your chest into .
This would be a good intermediary drill if you are solid at this with your hand behind you leaning back but not quite able to do the 90/90 rotation without holding onto anything for support .

01/14/2022

Bench Press Grips
There are several options for how to grip the barbell when approaching the bench press. Not saying that any of these are bad or good, but rather just want to highlight that you got options, and should experiment with what's best for you.
4 Grips I want to discuss briefly are:
1. Neutral Grip
2. Bulldog Grip
3. Reverse Grip
4. Japanese Grip
1. Neutral Grip
Benefits : Easy. Straightforward. Builds Forearm Strength. Probably good for most non Powerlifter trainees, and those looking to build muscles where maximal loads is not the main goal.
Downsides: Unstable for many. Requires forearm Strength to control the micro-movements of the bar as you press . Unstable wrists, will translate to instability down the arm.
* Pro Tip - With the Neutral Grip you still will have a slight bend in the wrist this will allow the bar sit directly over the wrist joint If you allow the bar to sit too far forward the bar will be in front of the wrist and you will be in a weaker position to press from.
2. Bulldog Grip
Benefits: Takes the stability aspect away from holding the bar as the bar sits perfectly in the center of the hand over the wrist nestled in the meatiest part of the palm. Helps keep the shoulder more neutral.
Downsides: Requires some practice and wrist mobility. But not as much as Japanese grip.
3. Reverse Grip
Benefits : Can be helpful for those with shoulder issues. Will Build pecs and triceps because of the forced tucked elbow position.
Downsides: Requires decent wrist mobility. Ignorant people on the internet wil probably make fun of you. Not Legal in Competition, anymore. Shout out Anthony Clark .
4. Japanese Grip
Benefits : Allows for illegally wide grip, while being legal because of the index finger touching the ring. (Horrible demo because my wrists are not flexible enough for this type of grip and I couldn't get my finger to touch the ring, but yea that's the whole benefit of doing this). Also, further cuts your ROM.
Downsides: Harsh AF on your shoulders, as you will be forced to excessively flare your elbows. Requires alot of wrist mobility. People on the internet will also probably make fun of you. 🤷🏾‍♀️

01/11/2022

Stop rotating your elbows underneath and forward you when your squat.
When back squatting Highbar or Lowbar- upper back tightness is crucial to maintain torso rigidity and finishing a heavy squats.
It is very common to observe lifters rotate the elbows under the bar as on the lift clip. While this looks nice - that doesn’t mean it’s a optimal que .
Here’s WHY - 1. You are not utilizing the large muscles surrounding the shoulder that an help contribute to a tighter upper back shelf. This is then not at all the function of the lat or the rear delt or mid trap. 2. Your just pulling on your rotator cuff muscles under load. While this may be possible for those with overly mobile shoulders- see point 1.
What is a better cue then “elbows under” - is probably elbows down and together as shown on the right clip . This ensures we pull into the lats and rear delts creating tension in out back muscles - not just pulling on the shoulder joint and Tiny rotator cuff muscles. In fact you may even feel cramping deep in the shoulder doing this - which is never a good thing . Cramping is not a good thing… There are a multitude of ways to que this “elbows down “ is just the most straightforward .
Anyways I know this may leave some of you butt hurt- because this is insanely common. I used to do this for years and years - until I learned a better way. Don’t be mad that you were wrong , be happy you know better now.
*** Disclaimer I know Oly lifters do this all the time - I know nothing about that sport and don’t claim to- this is simply for back squatting .

11/18/2021

My strict pressing is 🗑.
Gonna get better at it.
207 x 5 last set
Never gonna suck at a pressing event again.

11/17/2021

Kettlebell Bottom Up Press .
Know them. Love them. Do them.
Watch your shoulders get healthier and your grip get better . I feel like people don’t like these cuz they are associated with CrossFit - but they are a great stability exercise regardless.
Before pressing or at the end of an upper day - these can go a long way. No need to load them up, just work on control .
Ideally I would perform the bottom up press in the same plane as your main pressing . Aka if your gonna bench do these horizontally . If your gonna overhead press do them vertically .

11/17/2021

11/09/2021

Intention Dictates Ex*****on.
What are you really trying to do with any given exercise? If you don’t have an answer , I urge you to look for one. Because if you don’t understand why your doing an exercise you can’t understand the correct way to perform it.
A squat could be performed a dozen different ways depending on the goal. Are you just squatting to squat? Or are you squatting for leg development ? Quads ? Or glutes ? Adductors ? Are you squatting for power development?
Each of these leg Press set ups are different and each one emphasis different muscle groups.
Top Narrow stance emphasis hamstring and glutes .
Bottom Wide stance emphasis quads.
Why ? Muscle Fiber orientation .
Don’t just do things to do them.
Also i learned this and wayyy more in .education biomechanics course. I can’t recommend it enough to coaches or anyone who really wants a better understands of how to perform movements optimally .
MOST of what I know is from others- But unlike the rest of IG I’ll gladly you give you my sources and not try to pretend like I’m making this s**t up and holding onto some esoteric info. 💯